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(No Model.) 7 sheets-sheet 1. D. G. WEEMS. ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID G. WEEMS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRO- AUTOMATIC TRANSIT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,804, dated July 9, 1889.

Application tiled February 2Ll889. Serial No. 298,535. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern.- ings, A indicates a train of cars, which is Be it known that I, DAVID G. VVEEMS, a herein shown as of the vestibule pattern, B citizen of the United States, residing at Baltidesignating the locomotive or front car, and 55 more city, State of Maryland, have invented C the rear car, the said front and rear car certain new and useful Improvements in having a pointed end, as shown.

Electric Railways, of which the following` is The main wheels D of the locomotive and a full and clear description, reference being succeeding cars are mounted upon axles a', had to the accompanying drawings, forming the ends of which turn in boXes l), mounted 6o part of this specification, in whichin semi-elliptical housings c, secured on the ro Figure 1 represents a train of vestibuleexterior of the cars, as shown in Figs. 5 and cars provided with an electric head-light and 6, the said housings being formed semi-ellip- .rear signal-light. Fig. 2 is aplan view of the tical to prevent the retardation of the train, same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional which would be the case if they were of `square 65 view of one of the cars. Fig. 4 is a horizonform and projected beyond the sides of the tal sectional view of the same. Fig. 5 is a train and thereby offered resistance to the side elevation of the locomotive, showing a air, as set forth more fully in an application part of casing broken away to expose the for Letters Patent iiled by me January 30,

" motors, telegraph-key, and other instruments. 1889, Serial No. 298,119. 7o Fig. (5 is a plan View of Fig. 5, showing the The front car or locomotive may carry any 2o front portion in section. Fig. 7 is a detail desired number and style of motors E, with showing the forward portion of the locomobrushes, commutators, armatures, and other tive or forward car with its movable point or adj unctive parts of any well-known form, not front. Fig. 8 is a sectional View of the same. herein necessary to show in detail, and said 75 Fig. 9 is an end view of Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 10 motors are connected in any suitable manner is a side elevation 0f the cow-catcher. Fig. with a copper wire or main conductor d, laid 11 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 12 is a perupon the stringers beneath the rails, as shown spective view showing a portion of the track in Figs. 12 to 15, inclusive, another wire or with its main conductor, and also showing the second conductor e being also laid along the 8o secondary wire or conductor which connects Stringer in a housing c', and being engaged 3o with the telegraph -key and other instruby a brush j, carried by an arm f, secured to ments. Fig. 13 is a detail showing a transthe car or cars-preferably the front one or verse sectional view of the track, and showing locomotive-and being electrically connected the supplemental wheels or rollers for prewith the wires g g, leading t0 a telegraph- 85 venting the train j umping the track. Figs. key F, as shown in Fig. 5, or t-o similar instru- 3 5 14 and 15 illustrate modified forms of rails. ments, whereby messages maybe transmitted My present invention` relates to a system from the moving train to distant points, the of railways for the rapid transportation of said main conductor being connected with passengers by means of electricity, the main one or more dynamos at the end of the line of 90 current of which is utilized to propel, heat, road, as disclosed in my former patent, No.

4o and light the train, a second current also 376,567, dated January 17, 1888, and the secbeing employed to operate in conjunction with ond conductorbeing connected with any wellcomplementary telegraph-instruments carried known source of electricityat the station or by the train; and my invention consists in otherwise. The main rails 1n this case have 95 the constructions and combinations of elean upper tread or surface h, upon which the ments which together make up the system, main wheels D travel, and an outwardly-exand which I shall hereinafter fully describe tending flange h', which may extend inwardly, and claim. as shown in Figs. 12,13, and 14,0routwardly,

To enable others skilled in the art to make as shown in Fig. 15, these iianges being de- 10o and use my invention, I will now describe its signed as tracks, against the under surface of' o construction and indicate the manner in which supplemental Wheels G travel, to hold l which the same is carried out. the train to the rails and to prevent the same Referring now to Figs. land 2 of the drawleaving the track when traveling at a high rate of speed, the said supplemental wheels being mounted on shafts which are j ournaled to the body of the car in any well-known manner, as more fully disclosed in an application filed by me December 28, 1888, Serial No. 294,889.

The front car or locomotive may be provided with a cow-catcher II, (shown in Figs. lOand 11,) having a square front and being located slightly above the main rails, and said front car or locomotive is provided with a movable point or front J, which has a hinge-connection j with the body of the car or locomotive, as shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9. This movable point or front is operated by a system of levers I within the car, near the engineer or operator, and is designed to be adjusted up and down when desired to cause the train to more closely hug the track. Thus in ascending a steep grade the point J will be slightly elevated above the position it occupied when the train was traveling on the level, and the air striking the upper incline of the point will hold the car to the track. This adjustable point and the supplemental wheels make it almost impossible for the train to leave the track even when it has obtained the greatest velocity.

The pointor front J is provided with a glassprotected lookout K, by means of which the engineer or operator is permitted to view the track ahead, and the main portion of the car above the adjustable point is provided with an electric head-light L, the wires 7c and Z of which, like those extending from the lights M and heaters Nin Fig. 3, are in the main circuit and connected in any well-known manner with the main current, whereby said current furnishes the medium by which the lighting and heating of the train is accomplished.

The rear car of the train will havea pointed rear end provided at its apex with an electric light O, which is also connected with the main current in any well-known manner, and operates as the rear signal-light, as shown in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing it is obvious that the system described and illustrated is capable of a high rate of speed with perfect safety, the possibility of derailment being reduced to a minimum, and the train illuminated and heated by the currentwhich propels the cars,

' the head-light and signals being also in the circuit, and the telegraph or other instruments for conveying messages between the train and distant points being on a second circuit. It will also be observed that the adjustability of the point or front of the forward car and the fact that the train, being of Whatis known as the vestibule pattern, has no outward projections, but little resistance is offered to the air consequently a maximum speed is obtained at a minimum of power.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isj 1. In an electric-railway system for passenger traffic, in which a train of cars is propelled, lighted, and heated by a current from an electric rail, a locomotive or carrier having a pointed end and head-light, and a rear car having a pointed end, the apex of Which is provided with a signal-light, both the headlight and signal being in the main circuit and lighted thereby, substantially as herein described.

2. In an electric-railway system for passenger traffic, in which a train of cars is propelled, lighted, and heated by a current from an electric rail, a head-light and rear signallight in said circuit and lighted thereby, and an independent conductor conveying a second current to telegraphic or other instruments on the train, substantially as herein described.

3. In an electric-railway system operated by a current from an electric rail, a locomotive or carrier having a point or front capable of movement in vertical planes, substant-ially as described.

4t. In an electric-railway vsystem operated by a current from an electric rail, a locomotive or carrier having a pointed end or front hinged or jointed to the body thereof and movable about its joint, whereby said point may be adjusted, substantially as herein described.

5. In an electric-railway system operated by a current from an electric rail, a locomotive or carrier having its pointed front or end hinged to the body portion, and a system of levers connected with said y movable point or TOO front, whereby the latter isv adjusted, substantially as described.

6. In an electric-railway system operated by a current from an electric rail, a locomotive having a pointed front end, a rear car having a pointed rear end, and a signal-light in the apex of the pointed rear end, substantially as herein described.

7. In an electric-railway system operated by a current from an electric rail, a locomotive having` an adjustable front or point pro-` vided with a lookout, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. In an electric-railway system, a car or `carrier having its rear end pointed and having in the apex thereof a signal-light, substantially as described.

9. An electric system for passenger traffic comprising the following instrumentalities, to wit: a train of cars, the locomotive and rear car having a pointed end, as described, said locomotive carrying a motor, a main conductor conveying an electric current to the motor and propelling, heating, and lighting the cars, signals in the main circuit, and telegraphic instruments in a second circuit, substantially as herein described.

DAVID G. WEEMS.

Vitnesses:

W. H. PATTERSON, T. VALTER FOWLER.

IIO 

